Do I need a referral for physical therapy?

Under Minnesota's direct access law, you may begin physical therapy without a physician referral for up to 90 days. Medicare patients require a referral.

What insurance plans do you accept?

We accept most major insurance plans including Medicare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana, Medica, UCare, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Workers Compensation, and Auto Insurance. Contact us to verify your specific coverage.

How long are physical therapy sessions?

Initial evaluations are 60 minutes. Follow-up treatment sessions are typically 60 minutes and provide one-on-one care with your dedicated therapist.

What conditions do you treat?

We treat a wide range of conditions including orthopedic injuries, sports injuries, post-surgical rehabilitation, chronic pain, neurological conditions, women's health issues, balance disorders, and pediatric conditions.

How many physical therapy sessions will I need?

The number of sessions varies based on your condition, goals, and response to treatment. Most patients attend 2-3 sessions per week for 4-8 weeks before transitioning to a home exercise program.

5 Things Your PT Wants You To Know

When a physical therapist and client are on the same page, sessions tend to go well and patients usually notice more improvement in their condition. We want to pass as much knowledge onto our clients as possible, but we know that sessions are short and that we can’t fit everything we want to share into these sessions. With that in mind, we wanted to use today’s blog to share some things that our physical therapists want you to know about physical therapy and the recovery process.

What Your PT Wants You To Know

Here’s a look at some of the things our physical therapists try to emphasize with clients early in the process.

Recovery Won’t Happen Overnight – Recovery is going to take some time, and we want you to realize that you’re not going to be back to full health after just one or two sessions. Coming in with the wrong mindset about your recovery timeline can actually cause problems for your recovery if you push yourself too early in the process or get frustrated by what you believe is a lack of progress. Know that it’s going to take some time, and we’ll work with you to map out an expected recovery timeline so that you have a better idea of what to expect as you progress through your rehab plan.
It’s Going To Take Work – When it comes to physical therapy, you get out what you put in, so we need you to give a full effort during your in-person sessions and with your home-based exercises. You’re only cheating yourself if you’re just going through the motions or you’re skipping sessions. Come in with the mindset that therapy will be physically challenging at times so that you aren’t overwhelmed by what is being asked of you by your PT. We’ll always mind your strengths and deficits, but PT isn’t supposed to be easy, so know that you’ll be working during your session.
You Don’t Need A Referral – In Minnesota, you don’t need a physician referral to seek out treatment from a physical therapist. This helps ensure you get timely care and don’t need to tack on additional medical expenses by seeing a doctor before connecting with a physical therapist. Sometimes it’s helpful to consult with a doctor or a specialist first, but for many minor or mild athletic or non-emergent injuries, you’re better suited by simply setting up an appointment with a physical therapist.
Your Plan Will Be Unique – How you recover from an Achilles tendon tear will be different than how other people recover from Achilles tendon tears, because the injury is unique to you. We’ll regularly conduct evaluations and progress assessments to see what is working and what needs to be tweaked with your program. Know that we tailor a specific rehab program to your exact needs, so don’t expect a cookie cutter PT program.
Don’t Put Off PT – Finally, if you are dealing with new or worsening discomfort, don’t wait to get help. The longer you put off care, the worse the condition typically gets, and this can make effective treatment harder to find. Physical therapy is extremely effective at helping treat a number of different conditions, so relief may be closer than you realize. We want to help you, but you need to take that first step and connect with a physical therapist in your area.

In the greater Twin Cities area, we hope that you’ll connect with the team at OrthoRehab Specialists. For more information, or to set up an appointment, give our team a call today at (612) 339-2041.